IND vs SA: Dinesh Karthik's explosive onslaught in final over sets Internet ablaze; Watch

Temba Bavuma-led South Africa cricket team defeated Rishabh Pant’s Indian squad on Sunday night,  by a margin of four wickets in the 2nd T20I at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, and took a 2-0 lead in the 5-match series. Batting in the first innings, India managed to score 148/6 in 20 overs, before the visitors cruised to the target in 18.2 overs. Although India lacked performance with the bat, one of the positives gained from the match was veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik’s knock of 30* runs in 21 balls towards the end of India’s innings. 

The 37-year-old came into the crease in the 14th over of the match after Shreyas Iyer’s dismissal on the individual score of 40 runs in 35 balls reduced the Men in Blue to 98/5. At the end of the 18th over, Karthik found himself on the individual score of 8 runs in 14 balls, while India trailed at 118/6. However, the veteran cricketer did what he was expected to do with the bat, as he took smashed his first boundary of the match in the fifth ball of the 18th over and never looked back. 

Karthik hit consecutive fours in the final two balls of the 18th over, being bowled by Anrich Nortje, as Harshal Patel hit another four to start the final over. Harshal went on to play a dot ball before taking a single and returning the strike back to Karthik. With three balls left in the game, Karthik hit two consecutive sixes to Dwaine Pretorius and finished India’s batting innings with a single, which took India’s total to 148/6.

Watch Dinesh Karthik's heroic finish to the innings:

How did the fans react to Dinesh Karthik's knock?

Karthik’s heroics in the final overs of the innings was hailed on social media by the cricket lovers in India for his evergreen finishing skills. “Dinesh Karthik -the finisher, 1st 16 balls = 9 runs, Last 5 balls = 21 runs, including 2 sixes, 2 fours. What a thrilling finish!!! #DineshKarthik #INDvSA #Cuttack,” a fan wrote on Twitter. Karthik remained unbeaten on 30 runs off 21 balls, striking at 142.86, which also included two fours and two sixes. 

Dinesh Karthik's India re-call on the back of a solid show in IPL 2022 for RCB

It is pertinent to mention that Karthik made his comeback to the Indian squad after a gap of three years during the ongoing series against South Africa. His selection in the squad was based on his performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, where he emerged as one of the top run-scorers for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Essaying the role of a finisher, he hit a total of 330 runs in 16 games for RCB at a strike rate of 183.33 and an average of 55.00.

(Image: bcci.tv)